Monitoring buyer-seller relationships: The Tesco scorecard

The European food sector has been hit by a number of serious consumer scares over the past decades. Often, the firms involved have failed to give appropriate and immediate information to the consumers. This paper discusses the measures that one food company - Tesco - has taken. The approach deals with the setting up of effective guidelines for managing relationships with suppliers, customers, and employees, as well as other important influence markets such as government bodies and the press. These guidelines have made it possible for Tesco to inform the public about such serious food scares as mad cow disease, and address concerns over animal welfare and environmental issues.